


Uncaptured Memories

by Aurya



Series: A Breath of Wilderness [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Female Link, Gen, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-28 07:38:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 15,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10826769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurya/pseuds/Aurya
Summary: A picture is an instant frozen in eternity - and that often leaves certain things that a second-hand view of that image can never know.





	1. Revali's Flap - Challenge of the Rito Champion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided I was gonna continue on after all. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Being Princess Zelda's appointed knight meant following her around - wherever her curiosity in the Sheikah tech took her. So when that curiosity took her all the way to Lake Totori, to observe the Divine Beast Vah Medoh as it guarded the Rito Village, none could have blamed Link for choosing to rest at the Flight Landing instead of following her about.

The Divine Beast was passing almost immediately overhead when a sudden updraft caught Link's attention; she started for a moment, worried, before a familiar avian figure shot up just off the landing, a bow upon its back as it spun like a corkscrew. With a light scoff, Link turned her attention on the Rito Champion as he descended, flapping once to slow his descent before perching on the landing guardrail.

"That's a bit audacious," Link observed.

"You can admit you're just jealous," Revali insisted.

Link raised her hands around her face in mock astonishment. "Oh my,  _Master_ Revali can generate a skyward wind strong enough to startle his grip and make him turn his back to everyone twice a second." She spun once to prove that last point.

Revali shook his head. "The spin is just for flair," he corrected. "You've seen me ascend without it. And nobody draws their weapon  _before_ they're in position.

A sigh from the Hylian Champion. "Well, when you put it that way, it is a little-"

"Impressive, I know," Revali interrupted. "Very few can achieve a mastery of the sky. Yet I have made an art of creating an updraft that allows me to soar. It's considered to be quite the masterpiece of aerial techniques, even among the Rito."

"So you're  _not_ all showboating songbirds?" Link gasped.

Revali managed to punch her in the shoulder without descending from the fence. "You're an ass," he insisted.

Link hooked her hands behind her, keeping them just below waist level. "Only one pair of fins allowed around that one, R-Wing."

The Rito Champion took no notice of her comment, turning away. "With proper utilization of my superior skills, I see no reason why we couldn't easily dispense with Ganon," he observed. "Now then..." He hopped down from the guardrail, pacing around Link - and Link made sure to keep her gaze on him at all times as he spoke. "My ability to explore the firmament is certainly of note, but let's not - pardon me for being so blunt - let's not forget the fact that I am the most skilled archer of all the Rito." He was unpleasantly close as he said this, arcing to step around her. "Yet, despite these truths, it seems that I have been tapped to merely assist you. And all because you happen to have that little darkness-sealing sword on your back."

He tapped one finger against the hilt of the Master Sword, and Link winced as the pommel proceeded to waver at the touch and collide lightly with the back of her head; the Great Eagle Bow that was Revali's weapon of choice was heavier than any other Rito-made bow, and wings strong enough to carry that thing at the speeds Revali was so fond of had a lot of power behind their taunting touches.

"I mean, it's just... asinine." He noticed Link's unimpressed glare and turned to her. "Unless... you think you can prove me wrong?" Drawing closer, as though they were speaking of something morally disapproving; "Maybe we should just settle this one-on-one? But where...?"

Link shrugged, unhooking her hands. "Well, how do you judge?"

Her statement seemed to confuse the Rito Champion. "Sorry?"

"Well, okay," Link admitted, beckoning to herself, "as a Hylian, I have no real choice but to cede superiority of the air to a freaking  _Rito_." She angled both hands at Revali; he seemed about to take her compliment and run with it before she added, "And you've made no claim to any  _swordsmanship_ skills, so I'd be a bully if I chose to duel you like that." His gaze narrowed as she stepped back. "That leaves archery, doesn't it? So, how do  _Rito_ judge archery skills?"

Revali hummed. "Specifically," he admitted, "we judge  _mobile_ archery skills. How well can you strike a target while in motion?"

Link glanced around Rito Village. "Where are we gonna find a fall long enough for me to find out and you still have room to stop me from splatting all over Valor?"

"Where?" Revali smirked. "How about up there!"

The dramatic heavenward sweep of his wing only earned Link's unimpressed glare.

A taunting chuckle from the Rito Champion. "Oh, you must  _pardon_ me," he taunted. "I forgot you have no way of getting up to that Divine Beast on your own!" Link didn't even have time to reprimand him with a 'sure you did' before he swept his wings downward, and his gale ripped up around him as he soared up towards the Sheikah weapon of which he was pilot; he was halfway to Vah Medoh before he turned round to call back down to her.

"Good luck sealing the darkness!"


	2. Resolve and Grief - Spirit of the Sword

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Found Draco's BotW notes, and he says its theoretically possible for Link to kill Calamity Ganon with a Pot Lid in his underpants, so I thought I'd give it a try. Well, kinda. I went to Kakariko Village, got the Hylian series and the Stealth series, woke up Cotera, grabbed her four fairies, got the Hylian series to one-star, then went to Hyrule Castle, raided the armoury (because you can kill the Calamity with just Dead Man's Volley, but the other four don't use enough reflectable projectiles; plus the Hylian Shield means one mistake doesn't take it out immediately), and headed for the Sanctum. Eight shrines total, including the four on the Great Plateau. Both upgrades went to my Heart Containers. And I sold everything to get the Stealth series, so the only food I had was what I found in the dining hall and a few Roasted Hearty Truffles from Miska's stash. When I get to the Sanctum, I have one fairy left. If there are any Blight Ganons you haven't fought in a Divine Beast, you've got to face them in the Sanctum (Wind, Water, Fire, Thunder, in that order), and I can CONSISTENTLY get to Thunderblight second phase before I keep dying. I wish the Hylian Shield was shock-resistant like in Skyward Sword. I mean, the inside of that thing should be lined with wood.

Zelda had a habit of taking the scenic route at every opportunity. She also tended to save word about her ultimate destination until after she'd arrived at her  _penultimate_ destination. Consequently, as she and Link arrived at Lake Kolomo - on foot, from Rito Village - she was desperately hoping that the lake was her last destination before they returned to Hyrule Castle. The King had a tendency to get upset when she was gone for too long, and just the trip to Rito Village and back was likely enough to spark his ire.

Alas, her hopes were in vain.

"From here, we'll make our way to Goron City," Zelda announced. She had her Sheikah Slate in hand as she walked - a small Sheikah device she was using to analyze damn near everything in Hyrule - and as Link turned to her she saw the Princess raise it in the direction of the Dueling Peaks, and heard the now-familiar sound of it capturing an image. "Then, we'll need some adjustments on that Divine Beast so Daruk can manage it as easily as possible."

Link fought back a short giggle, trying to disguise it with a cough. "How exactly are we going to 'adjust' a Divine Beast?"

Zelda lowered her Sheikah Slate before her. "When last I saw them, I was able to use the Sheikah Slate to control them," she explained. "But the Champions are manipulating them through bodily direction. I'm hoping I'll be able to alter how it's reacting to Daruk's instructions, using the Slate. He's figured out how to get it to move... however, it's apparent that we still have much more to learn."

"What do you reckon is your success rate on that?" Link mused.

"That Divine Beast was actually built by  _people_ ," Zelda reminded her. "That means we should be able to understand how it works, and how to use it to our advantage." She shook her head. "These Divine Beasts - so much we don't know. But if we want to turn back Calamity Ganon, they're our best hope."

There it was again; the threat of Calamity Ganon looming over their heads. Zelda's pace drew slowly to a halt, lowering the Sheikah Slate at her side, and Link paused for a moment, concerned. "Something wrong?"

"...Tell me the truth," Zelda demanded. "How proficient are you right now, wielding that sword on your back?"

Link glanced back at Master Sword; it was longer than most one-handed weapons she was familiar with, yet not heavy enough for her to carry it like a claymore. As far as basic fighting skill went, she could handle it all too well... yet every time she convinced herself she knew everything about the weapon, it seemed determined to prove her wrong.

"Legend says that an ancient voice resonates inside it," Zelda informed her. "Can you hear it... hero?"

Her thoughts carried back to the day she had found the sword in the woods. The whispers that the wind had carried, guiding her through the forest - was that the voice inside the sword?

She had no chance to speak further on it; Zelda started off, suddenly solemn, and after a moment Link started after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't make as many changes to this one without really killing the tone of the memory. Sorry it's a bit short compared to the last one.


	3. Daruk's Mettle - The Goron Champion's Support

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blatantly using this chapter to fire off a headcanon that I've had roasting for ages.

"Yeah!"

Divine Beast Vah Rudania was climbing its way around the slopes of Death Mountain; Daruk had invited Link to accompany him on a test ride after Zelda had made her adjustments, and it had only taken a hearty swig of Fireproof Elixir before Link decided to say yes.

"I think I'm finally getting the hang of controlling this Divine Beast!" The Goron Champion arced his arms over his head, stretching in a way that wouldn't direct the Divine Beast to action. "Sure is a blast piloting a toy like this around!" he admitted. "Let those other Champions know, they'd better eat their gravel if they wanna keep up with Daruk."

Link blinked at his choice of words. "I'll... pass it on," she stumbled.

Daruk stepped up to the edge of the of Rudania, prompting Link to follow him. "Speaking of which, can you believe this view? Just look at all those delectable rocks sprinkled on those mountains. Mighty tasty."

"You know," Link interjected, "I've been meaning to ask; what make a rock 'tasty' or 'healthy' for a Goron?"

"Well, different types of rock have got different flavours," Daruk admitted, "but 'tasty' is an opinion. I bet you and the Princess have got different ideas of what's tasty, yourselves."

"Point."

Daruk stepped away from the edge. "But as far as healthy goes, it's a matter of how long it's been hot. Here around Death Mountain, the magma flows have been warming this stuff for ages on end. A lot of the rest of Hyrule hasn't got a lot of heat to its stones, so a Goron will want to throw it in the fire for a bit, you know? If we're going to, like, Hebra or something, we're gonna bring our own rocks for the trip." He turned back to Link as he added, "That being said, just because we don't get any health outta Hylian cuisine doesn't mean it won't fill us up. The castle chefs make some delicious pumpkin stew."

"Guess I know what I'll be asking for when we get back to the castle," Link mused. Her face fell as she added, "Assuming His Majesty is even gonna give Zelda a chance to rest her legs. He's got her running all over Hyrule for these cursed prayers. I can't blame her for taking the scenic route."

This earned her a huff from Daruk as she stepped away from the edge. "I can't say I know much about this whole Calamity Ganon thing," he admitted, "but mark my words - I'll protect this land of ours to the death! Right, little guy?"

Link had no chance to react before he slammed a hearty slap into her back - and that had her tumbling forward, taking all her strength to stay on her feet. "Goddess," she groaned. "Watch the rocks there, big guy."

Daruk only laughed. "Hey, by the way," he added, "I never said congrats on becoming the Princess' appointed knight. That's a really big deal - protecting the King's daughter." He set his hand a little more gently across her shoulders. "No pressure!"

"I've been taking pressure since I enlisted," Link argued. "Keeping up with a scholar is nothing."

The Goron Champion shook his head. "Seriously, though," he insisted. "The princess is a strong personality - so strong, she can't quite see the range for the peaks. Remember that - and you'll be fine."

Link was about to respond when a sudden tremor shook the mountain - and Vah Rudania. She stumbled, widening her stance to stay upright as Daruk turned round in a panic, and both of them saw massive stones falling from atop the peak around which the Divine Beast was climbing. One stone was falling straight at them; the Goron Champion quickly thrust both fists forward, and that glowing, fiery light - the protection of the Goron Champion - rose up around him and Link, off which the boulder tumbled away without a scratch.

A few moments for the quake to go quiet; then he lowered his fists, turning to Link. "Alright, so what was I saying?" He turned his gaze towards the volcano's peak. "That's strange. As far as I know, Death Mountain has been quiet for decades. But if the mountain's shivering enough to send down a bunch of boulders that size, then..."

"Then...?"

"Never mind," Daruk insisted. "Forget I said anything."

Link sighed, glancing up the mountain before turning round. "Well," she prompted, "I'd better meet up with Zelda before she decides to take off without me." She started towards the tail end of the Divine Beast - all of them had a travel gate near the intended entrance, and Daruk's was set to take her right to Goron City. "You have fun!"

Daruk nodded - but his gaze remained on the volcano peak, concerned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to think that Revali's memory is just longer than all the rest of them.


	4. Zelda's Resentment - Pursuit by Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! I successfully fought my way through all four Blight Ganons and killed the Calamity with (almost) nothing but Dead Man's Volley! Hatred and Malice Incarnate wasn't really any different with five hearts, single-layer stamina wheel, and no Champions than it was with twenty-seven hearts, triple-layer stamina wheel, and four Champions, but that was in Draco's notes, too. "Calamity Ganon is a test of your preparation, and will be wildly different depending on how many Divine Beasts, Shrines, sidequests, and upgrades you have completed; Dark Beast Ganon is a test of your skill as a player, and will only be different if you undertake it before and after you achieve familiarity with horseback archery." Didn't stop me from dragging him into the bedroom for a celebration after I got the credits rolling.
> 
> ...The joy of this note is in sharp contrast with the attitude of this chapter, so get any of your chuckles and/or praise out of the way in advance.

"Nothing. Just as I thought."

Zelda had managed to give her father - and her chosen knight - the slip at Hyrule Castle, and taken Champion all the way to the Tabantha region. One of roughly a hundred ancient Sheikah shrines rested at the Ancient Columns just south of the Piper Ridge; having ridden at nearly a full gallop to this remote area, she reasoned she would have plenty of time to try and access the shrine.

Alas, the pedestal by the barred entryway had no response when she set her Sheikah Slate upon it - and nor had any other part of the shrine reacted to anything she had done to it. With a hum, she gaze up towards the shrine's top end, talking to herself - as she tended to when she was alone. "It appears this structure was designed to be accessed exclusively by the sword's chosen one," she mused. "But, designs can always be worked around." She glanced down at her slate again. "At least I hope."

She stepped back just enough to get a good look. "How do I get inside? I need to activate it somehow."

"It's not reading yet."

The voice connecting with her right ear at point-blank elicited the highest, loudest  _scream_ from the princess of Hyrule, and she spun round, stumbling on what was assumed to be an inactive travel gate and falling to her rear. The Sheikah Slate slipped from her grip as she fell, and a swift hand quickly reached out and grabbed it before it could collide with the ground. Granted, any fears of the slate being damaged by the fall were rather unwarranted (Zelda had seen this thing take bomb arrows and claymores without a scratch), but nonetheless, the slate was quickly touched to the pedestal again, to still no effect.

"See? It doesn't let me in either."

"Hylia's bleeding  _heart_ _,_ Link!" Zelda shrieked. "Are you trying to take years off my life?"

Link chuckled awkwardly as the princess got to her feet. "Sorry," she admitted. "Left Valor at the stable. He was tired from the ride here." She held out the Sheikah Slate in one hand.

Zelda snatched it from her angrily, hooking it at her hip. "I thought I made it clear I am not in need of an escort," she reprimanded.

"And if I had a blue for every time your father disagreed with you," Link grumbled, "I'd be a Hylian homeowner."

The princess only scoffed. "It seems I'm the only one with a mind of my own," she snapped. "I, the person in question, am  _fine_ \- regardless of the king's orders." She stepped past Link angrily. "Return to the castle. And tell that to my father, please."

Link sighed, turning after her. "The king didn't send me here," she insisted. "I'm here because  _I_ want to be."

"What in the shadow of the valley of Hylia's perky  **tits** do  _you_ want from this area?" Zelda demanded. "This shrine is the only place of interest around here. Unless you're going back to Rito Village to take Revali up on that archery challenge, you have no  _real_  reason to come through here."

"You."

That one word from Link caught Zelda off guard. "Excuse me?"

"I'm worried about  _you_ ," Link insisted. "Monsters are running  _rampant_ these days, and there are reports of the Yiga Clan dressing up like common travelers and cutting throats when they notice something worth taking. You don't even carry steel for flint, let alone a proper weapon. Any red Bokoblin could walk up to you and clobber you to death. And you expect me not to be worried?"

"I ride the fastest horse in Hyrule," Zelda countered. "Even if those beasts learn to take a mount, I can flee whatever thinks it can fight me."

"Running away on horseback isn't a sound strategy," Link reprimanded. "One arrow to the flank is all it takes, and even Champion is going to be a better gourmet  _steak_ than a mount. If you're going to keep taking off on your own, at least learn how to defend yourself."

"You think I don't want to?" Zelda demanded. "My father puts every mote of my time to prayer. I can't even spare a glance towards the Guardians in the courtyard, on my way between my study and my chambers, without him demanding I focus on awakening this Demise-damned 'sealing power'."

"Well maybe, if you'd let me accompany you so he wouldn't be suspicious, you'd be able to research to your heart's content without even hearing his voice," Link informed her. "Instead, you take off on your own, putting the castle on high alert, and leave me to scour  _Hyrule Field_ for someone who's seen where the princess has run off to. I'll be lucky if my hair doesn't go  _white_ out of worry."

Zelda groaned. "I don't  _want_ you to be worried about me!" she yelled.

"And I don't want you to end up thrown in the Tanagar Canyon with a sickle in your chest!" Link yelled back. "But if you come running off to Tabantha without any way to defend yourself and no one willing to defend you,  _that's_ what's going to happen to you!"

"You don't give half a  _damn_  about _me!_ " Zelda snapped. "You're just keeping proactive to stay in my father's good graces! If it were your choice, you'd be on Ruta's trunk with Mipha, _making eggs!_ "

Link stumbled back. "What...?"

"Oh, you think I don't know about those pigeons you keep sending to Zora's Domain?" Zelda demanded. "Or the nights you spend on Helmhead Bridge waiting for letter barrels? Or the Zora Greaves in the armoury with an inscription on the right thigh reading _With love, from_ _Mipha_?" She aimed a finger at Link. "Ever since the day you got that tunic, you two have been tying that crimson thread tighter and tighter, by whatever means it takes you. So next time I leave the castle without you, do both of us a favour and go pay your fin-footed  _consort_ a visit!"

She turned away at this point, storming towards Champion, and Link was left with no counter as she mounted her white stallion and took off.


	5. Urbosa's Hand - Wisdom of the Gerudo Champion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doing Calamity Ganon first lets you play through the entire game with a star on your save file. That means some pretty beefy modifiers on a lot of weapons right out of the gate.

Divine Beast Vah Naboris constantly roamed the Gerudo Desert with the Gerudo Champion at the helm, so its standing still often meant that its pilot was in Gerudo Town for other business. Such, then, was Link's surprise when she received a letter from Urbosa late at night, instructing her to come to the Divine Beast as soon as possible; she found the Champion sitting along one of the balconies, with the Gerudo heirloom - the Thunder Helm - sitting at her side... and Princess Zelda asleep in her lap.

Even her quietest footsteps were enough to draw Urbosa's attention. "Well, you certainly got here fast," she praised the Hylian Champion. "I should have expected as much, from the princess' own appointed knight."

"Maybe a little more detail next time," Link requested. " _Urgent: Meet me at Naboris_ had me thinking you were under attack from a Talus landslide, or something." She stepped forward, her gaze going to Zelda. "Is she alright?"

"She was out on a survey all day today," Urbosa informed her. "Still as the sands, now..." A moment's quiet; then she turned to Link. "So? Spill it, then. Have the two of you been getting along all right?"

Link pursed her lips, decidedly refusing to answer that question with a 'no'.

This only earned her a chuckle from the Gerudo Champion. "It's okay, I know. You'd be surprised how much you can say when you don't say anything at all."

"I-I don't even know what to tell you," Link admitted. "I... I've been trying to avoid getting in her way, or even saying anything more than the bare facts, but..."

Urbosa only shook her head. "She gets frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back," she explained. "It makes her feel like a failure when it comes to her own destiny." Then, at Link; "Don't worry, it's not like you carry blame in any of this."

Link's gaze fell.

"It's unfortunate. She's put in more than enough time." Urbosa turned her gaze down to Zelda. "Ever since she was a young girl, she's gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication. She once passed out in the freezing waters trying to access this 'sealing' power."

"What...?"

Urbosa nodded. "And she has nothing to show for it.  _That's_ the motivation driving her research. I'd be doing the same thing."

Link shook her head. "I knew the king had been pushing her to these prayers," she admitted, "but that..."

"He's a ruler," Urbosa observed. "And a ruler always feels the need to put their people before themselves. With Calamity Ganon on the approach, he's determined to end this before it begins - by following the path of our predecessors."

"That's no excuse for treating your daughter like a tool," Link muttered. "I almost get the feeling that him pushing her like this is half the reason she hasn't gotten any results. If he'd just have a little lenience..."

"Lenience?" Urbosa interrupted. "Like letting the soldiers into the forges?"

That utterance caught Link off-guard.

The Gerudo Champion had a bitter smirk on her face. "That's just mortal habit," she admitted. "We remember the disasters that have arisen because we weren't strict enough - because they're all the more common than the successes that arose from breaking custom. Maybe she would achieve something if she had a little more freedom... but the king doesn't want to take that risk."

"...Point," Link admitted.

Urbosa's gaze fell to the princess. "She's not doing this by choice," she observed. "But she still wants it. Not just to please her father - deep down, I think she wants to stop the Calamity before it happens, the same as we do. If it were me - if I were Hylia, and I decided when she would receive it... I would've given it to her the moment she asked." Her hand reached forward, gently brushing a lock of hair out of the princess' face.

"She really is quite... special. You be sure you protect her with your life."

A sudden wind crossed the balcony, and Link found herself gasping as a cold crossed her. Urbosa raised her gaze in response to the wind's caress, and the sleeping Zelda shivered lightly. "The night brings a chill," Urbosa mused. "It's probably time we take her in." A menacing smile rose on her face, and she raised a hand to her chin. " _Or..._ "

Link angled her head. "Or...?"

She saw what was going to happen an instant before it did; Urbosa raised a hand before her and snapped her fingers, and a  _bolt of lightning_ ripped out of the cloudless skies, slamming into the sands on just the other side of Vah Naboris. The screech of thunder startled Zelda out of her slumber; the princess shot upright, yelping in a panic and tumbling forward to her hands and knees.

"Urbosa!" she gasped, glancing around. "What was that? Did you hear that?" A moment's pause as she realized something she had seen in that panicked glance, and slowly, she turned round, finding her gaze locking with Link's. "Wait, you...? What are you doing here!?"

The Gerudo Champion only laughed, ignoring Zelda's protests as she got to her feet and started into the Divine Beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, not a whole lot of changes I could make to this one without REALLY killing the attitude.


	6. Blades of the Yiga - Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, we're gonna do something a little different for this one. The memory for Blades of the Yiga is beautiful in its wordlessness, and I refuse to do anything to change that. Instead, I'm going to ask you to go to Princess Zelda's Bedroom in Hyrule Castle and read her diary. She mentions treating Link to a good meal after the rescue, in an effort to get him to open up and talk. I'm gonna take that and run with it.

"Holy sh-"

Link's hands went up and slammed into her mouth to muffle her words at the sight laid out before her. On their return to the castle from the Gerudo Desert, Zelda had invited the knight to accompany her to the dining hall, where she had had the castle chefs lay out a late-night feast for the two of them. A massive table was flooded with the finest food in Hyrule, and on seeing her reaction, Zelda couldn't help giggling. "Is that because it looks good," she asked, "or because there's so much of it?"

"I don't judge food by its appearance," Link admitted, lowering her hands. "I once made a seafood paella that looked like the inside of a Hinox."

"I would love to hear how you know that," Zelda mused sarcastically.

Link coughed lightly. "So, um... do you normally eat a meal this big?"

Zelda lowered her gaze. "Once in a while," she admitted, "when I... need some time to unwind."

"I refuse to believe you can eat this much food at once," Link protested. "You must have an icehouse the size of the training yard filled with leftovers, and chefs who only work ten days a year."

"Or an orphanage in Castle Town whose caretaker has a key," Zelda countered. Two trays, each with a plate, bowl, and cutlery, rested at their end of the table, and Zelda picked one up and handed it to Link. "Have you ever partaken in a buffet?"

"You go at this buffet-style?"

"How would  _you_ go at it?"

Link fell quiet, and Zelda picked up her own tray and started to guide her around the table. "The chefs have prepared seafood and mushroom rice balls, cream soups in meat and vegetable, wildberry crepes and honey crepes, pumpkin, carrot, and meat stews, clam chowder, and fruitcake for dessert. Feel free to have whatever you like."

A growl from Link's stomach drew her attention. "I'm gonna need a bigger tray," she murmured.

"First lesson you learn at a buffet," Zelda warned, "whether you mean to or not, is that gorging yourself is an excellent way make yourself sick."

The princess settled for a couple honey crepes and some veggie cream soup to start; Link grabbed most of the rice balls, half of the wildberry crepes, and nearly overflowed her bowl with pumpkin stew. The two took their seats at one end of the table, and Zelda was quite amused when Link proceeded to dig in, and eat her way through most of her tray before she was even half finished.

"Five minutes to let your stomach decide whether it can handle any more," Zelda warned, though there was a smile on her face. "I'm not letting you stand up again until I'm certain you're not going to vomit in the morning."

Link sighed, leaning back slightly in her seat. A few quiet moments to let the princess eat; then she spoke.

"Thank you," she said honestly. "For all of this. But... why would you do this for me?"

Zelda halted, lowering her fork and knife. "I've been... rather harsh to you, since your appointment," she admitted. "Especially that time in Tabantha. You have been acting entirely in my best interests, and have not deserved any of what I've done. You would be entirely justified in hating me. In leaving me to die. Anyone else in the forces would have done so, after the way I've treated you. But you... you saved me. At cost to yourself, even."

A brief silence at that.

"Forgive my presumptions," Zelda continued, "but you seem to be rather... keeping to yourself. I do not know that I have ever heard you speak your own opinion. Your words are always more... observation, or prediction, than anything personal."

"You might say that," Link admitted. "To be honest, I... feel like I'm trying to live up to something bigger than me."

Zelda started at that. "Pardon?"

Link's gaze drifted to the Master Sword she had set against the table. "That time at Lake Kolomo... when you were talking about the voice inside the sword? I thought I heard it, once - in the Lost Woods. Before I drew it." She closed her eyes. "But ever since I touched it, it's been silent. Like I'm less the sword expected me to be. And every time I think I've learned everything about the sword, it's like it goes out of its way to show me something new. I almost feel like... it hasn't decided I'm worthy, yet."

With a sigh, she set her hand against the jewel resting in its hilt. "If the sword doesn't even think I'm worthy," she mused, "what about the people who are expecting me to wield it? Sometimes I feel like every eye in the kingdom is looking at me - expecting me to do more than I can. I feel like... if I try to express myself with so many people watching me... I'm just going to let everyone down."

"I'm sorry."

Zelda's murmur drew Link's gaze. "What?"

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I... all this time, I thought you were this... perfect warrior. Gifted with skill and might, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness, and hailed as the hero who will strike down Calamity Ganon. I never realized you were facing just as much hardship as I am." A spark of realization rose on her face, and she raised her gaze to the knight. "Then... those letters you're always exchanging with Mipha..."

Link nodded. "Yeah. I've been feeling like she's the only person I can really talk to about this sort of thing. That being said," she added, seeing Zelda about to speak, "you're... not entirely wrong in thinking that-"

"Don't," Zelda insisted. "What I said at Tabantha was inexcusable. Regardless of the ultimate circumstances, I had no reason to accuse you the way I did. And I certainly had no business prying into your affairs like that."

"H-How did you even know about my trips to Helmhead Bridge?" Link stumbled. "I never told anyone, and I thought I'd made sure I wasn't followed."

Zelda reached for her hip, drawing off the Sheikah Slate and holding it out to Link. "Hold it out before you, and then touch your thumb to this point, here." She set her finger just above a circular pattern in the top-right corner.

Link quickly wiped her fingers before accepting the slate and tapping the point with her thumb. She was well aware of the slate's image-capture function (if only because of how often Zelda made use of it), but she was surprised when the projected surface, showing the table before her, quickly proceeded to make the image  _bigger_ \- and consequently show less of it. "What the...?"

"Purah's calling it a 'scope'," Zelda replied. Then, at Link's reaction; "Yes, like 'telescope'. Helmhead Bridge is visible from the library, and I'm often reading when I cannot sleep."

"I-I see..." Link handed the slate back to Zelda before getting to her feet.

"Where are you going?"

"For a second course."

Zelda chuckled at that response. "Oh, Goddess. You've got hollow legs, haven't you."


	7. A Premonition - Legion of One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shameless Final Fantasy XIII reference for the win.

"Here, like this..."

Zelda quickly raised her Sheikah Slate; Link watched as she tapped the back of it with her left hand, and on the surface were projected six squares - in one of which rested an uneven rectangular emblem with a circle within. "This lets me select which 'Runes' I use. Apparently, some of the shrines have the ability to add runes to the slate, but for now all I've got is the Camera." She handed the slate to Link, who accepted it carefully to make sure she didn't do anything detrimental. "Touch the rune with your finger."

Link carefully set one finger against the emblem, and the projection changed, giving her a perfect view of her mountain-dirtied trousers. She quickly raised the slate to look over the Woodland region as a thin blue square centered itself in the image - just outside the square on the left was a long line with a triangle near the bottom, and within it was a circle with a segmented rectangle within it.

"Now you're in Camera mode," Zelda explained. "If you want a closer picture, you need to slide this here." She beckoned to the triangle, and Link touched it warily with her thumb; moving the digit upward caused the triangle to move up, and the picture enlarged as it had when she had used the scope - that only made the nearby swamp dominate the image, and Link quickly slid it back down. "Once you're satisfied, tap the back with your right hand to capture it."

A  _click_ sounded from the slate as Link did just that, and the image darkened as a smaller version of it appeared within; as she moved the slate, the dark image changed to show her trousers again, but the smaller image remained the same. Two small rectangles had appeared below the smaller image, in which appeared Hylian text reading  _Delete_ and  _Save_.

"If you like the way it turned out," Zelda replied, "touch  _save_. If you'd rather try again, touch  _delete_."

Link nodded, touching the option to keep the picture. "That's gotta be saving your botany artists a lot of work," she observed.

Zelda shook her head. "It's saving them a trip," she admitted. "But it only keeps the picture on the Sheikah Slate. If they want it in their records, they have to draw it themselves all the same." Link handed the slate back to her, and she hooked it onto her hip. "Purah's mentioned there should be somewhere a device that will be able to render the pictures on paper, but we've not had any luck in finding it."

She turned to the landscape before them. "Look at this view. When all this is over, remind me to look into the prices on Death Mountain real estate. I'd love to-"

"Shh." Link's sudden interruption caught her off-guard. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen."

Zelda fell quiet, but heard nothing. "I don't... wait." A small, satisfied smile rose on her face. "Is it perhaps-"

"No." Link's voice was firm, and after a moment she reached for the Master Sword. "It's not her."

She turned round, drawing the sword that seals the darkness as she did, and Zelda followed her gaze - and was shocked at what she saw. Moving along the rocks were several black-skinned Bokoblins with splotches of white scattered about their bodies, and Moblins in deep blue. "Oh no," she murmured. "That's... so many..."

Link glanced at the cliff behind them. "We can't climb down," she observed. "They've got archers. If we try to descend, they'll shoot our fingers. We'll be messes on the rocks."

Zelda stepped back. "What can we do?"

"Time me."

The swordswoman's words caused Zelda to turn as the monsters neared. "What?"

"Time me." There was a smirk on Link's face. "A silver says I can take them out in five minutes."

"No, _don't you-!_ "

Link charged forward with her blade raised, and as the first Bokoblin drew near she thrust it forward, the sacred edge running the Bokoblin through and causing it to drop its wood-and-bone shield to the ground. Another Bokoblin raised its bow with an arrow nocked, but Link only directed the dying one on her blade into the way of the arrow before wrenching her sword out. She quickly slammed her boot into the shield, causing it to tumble into the air, and with a quick swipe she grabbed it in her left hand.

"Right, next!"

A Moblin with a heavy spiked club charged towards her, Link sidestepped an arrow from another archer Bokoblin, then swung her shield outward to parry a sweep of the beast's weapon. A sharp lash down its weapon arm caused it to drop the club; then a heavenward slash severed its fingers, and an earthward swing cut its other  _hand_ off. A sharp thrust through its neck was enough to make the beast fall; one of the archers loosed an arrow, but Link only raised the bony shield to stop it, then another before raising the blade over her shoulder and swinging.

A whirling disc of light flew from the blade, struck a Bokoblin that had been leaping at her with its club raised, and threw it off the mountain.

Link saw an incoming arrow too late to stop it from skimming the shoulder of her shield hand, and she growled low, glaring at the archer that had fired it. She quickly sheathed the Master Sword, dropped the shield, and seized the spiked club, whirling it once before hurling it towards the archer; the collision took out the beast in short order, and Link quickly drew her sword again, reclaiming the shield to stop another few arrows from the other archer before she charged forward. The Bokoblin had no chance to retaliate before Link kicked it to the ground, and once it was there she turned her blade in hand and leapt after it, driving her sword into its heart while it was on the ground.

She quickly leapt back up as more blins surrounded her; and with a sigh, she held her blade out to her side.

Zelda started when she saw a gleam run down the blade from hilt to tip.

" _Kaitengiri!_ "

Link arced into a spin, going through one, two, three revolutions - and the arc of her blade seemed to  _widen_ with each successive turn, cutting through the beasts from further than her sword should have reached. Some fell to the ground around her, others were thrown wide off the mountain; when she came to a stop, she was no longer under threat. A smirk rose on her face as she turned to Zelda.

"How long did that take me?"

A half-impressed, half-frustrated groan emerged from the princess. "For the love of Hylia's sopping-"

She was interrupted when a savage - and  _familiar_ \- roar emerged from the direction the blins had come from; Link turned to see a Lynel with a blue mane leaping across the slopes, with a long spear in hand. "Oh, glorious," she murmured.

The Master Sword was quickly sheathed, and she grabbed the Bokoblin's bow, prying an arrow out of the bony shield and nocking it readily as the Lynel got close enough to be a threat; then she loosed the arrow, and it slammed into the Lynel's maw mid-roar, causing it to rear back and slump to one knee. Link quickly slung the bow over her arm as she charged forward, drawing her sword again; she grasped the grip with both hands to give its blows enough power as she sliced through one horn and then the other - leaving nothing to cut her - before swinging around its chest and landing on its back. The Lynel quickly reared as she swung her blade once, twice, thrice against its shoulders; when it reached back to throw her off, she quickly stood on its back and swung a fourth time before leaping off, letting the Lynel turn to her.

It whirled its spear in hand and leapt forward, meaning to impale her whilst it fell; she raised her shield to deflect it and found the plate shattered, causing her to stumble back as the Lynel's lance hit the ground. She dove towards one of the fallen Bokoblins, seizing an arrow from its quiver as she drew her bow again and fired; the arrow collided with its rear left flank, and it stumbled. Another arrow struck its fore right flank, and as she readied a third, flames gathered around the Lynel's maw.

She loosed the arrow and dared not wait to see what it struck, leaping aside as a burst of flame surged through where she had just been. A second blaze and a third were dodged by increasingly narrower windows, and the Lynel galloped forward, unhindered by the wounds in its legs, as it swept its lance towards Link. Her evasion was an instant too slow, and a stinging in the back of her right told her it had returned the favour; she stumbled as she landed, the Lynel charged past her, and it quickly set its spear against its back and dropped low enough to slam its hands against the ground before it charged her, meaning to gore her on the remaining stubs of its horns.

Link leapt aside not a moment sooner than she could have; the Master Sword was drawn, and she arced it through one, two, four, six blows before arcing into a spin and running the sacred blade through its chest.

The man-beast reared, screaming; then it fell limply to the ground, and Link tore her sword out of its chest before turning to Zelda.

"Okay," she murmured, limping slightly as she stepped forward, "maybe that one was a bit too much to go head-on."

"I should get you a shield and bow of your own," Zelda observed. "Bokoblins aren't exactly known for their quality craftsmanship."

Link sat down near the ledge they had been looking out over, and the princess sat down beside her, looking over the Lynel's blow. Surprisingly, her trousers had taken more damage than she had; it looked as though the flat of the Lynel's spearhead had landed the collision, with the edge having hooked on her leggings and torn them rather than sliced through, and the actual wound was more a bruise, with a slight gash more reminiscent of a sharp-nailed clawing than a blade's swing.

"That cut doesn't look too bad, actually," she admitted. "You're fine for now." Then, giving Link a firm look before she could say anything; "But you know, there's a fine line between courage and recklessness. As brave as you are, that does  _not_ make you immortal."

The knight chuckled at her comment. "I had no illusions that I was-"

A little more pressure to the cut was all it took for her go quiet.

Zelda sighed, turning to the scattered bodies of the Bokoblins, Moblins, and Lynel. "Just the other day, it was Wizzrobes and Lizalfos working together," she observed. "Now it's blins and Lynels. It seems that... not only is the frequency of these types of attacks on the rise, but the scale of beasts that we are facing is intensifying as well." Her gaze fell. "I fear... that this may be an omen, that portends the return of Calamity Ganon. A warning that it's getting close."

"You think so?" Link asked.

"I do," Zelda admitted. Then, getting to her feet; "And, if that's the case, I'm ready to expect the worst. We'll need to make preparations as soon as possible."

Link nodded, getting to her feet. "Right, then. Shall we?"

"Let's."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to some fan-translator Draco used to read, 'Kaitengiri' means 'spin attack' and is screamed by Link every time he pulls one off in any of the manga. Charged attacks are a surprisingly bad idea with anything but a Windcleaver, though, so don't expect this Link to be firing off too many of them.


	8. Silent Princess - Theory of Hylia's Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: if you teleport -immediately- before midnight on a blood moon, you'll bypass the monster resurrection without the blood moon trying again the next night. Considering doing a whole round without ever seeing a blood moon rise, just so I can keep track of all the Lynels, Talus, and Hinox.

As much as Link often disliked taking the scenic route (less out of any personal distaste and more because of the increased dangers in a longer trip), she couldn't help but admit that a leisurely ride across the Rauru Hillside was much more pleasant than going directly to Zora's Domain. The monsters were mercifully scarce as she and Zelda stopped for a break on the Irch Plain, both of them a bit saddle-sore - and on seeing several familiar species of flora, the princess had quickly drawn her Sheikah Slate and started taking pictures.

Link watched with a quiet smile as she snapped a growth of several different small plants. After a few shots, she couldn't help but speak up; "A bit fond of pretty flowers, are we?"

"I guess you could say that," Zelda admitted. "But the flowers in Hyrule aren't just beautiful - they're also useful as ingredients for a variety of things." She snapped a couple more pictures. "That being said, most of these aren't much more than garnish for a proper di..."

She fell quiet, directing the camera at the earth as she looked past it, and Link angled her head. "Something wrong?"

Zelda holstered the slate on her hip and reached forward - where, Link noticed, there lay a small flower in pale shades of blue and white. Its stem split near the peak, one holding the bloom and the other a small, rounded bud. "What... is that?"

"This one is called the silent princess," Zelda mused, caressing the flower gently. "It's a rare, endangered species." She shook her head. "Despite our efforts, we can't get them to grow domestically, yet - the princess can only thrive out here, in the wild. All that we can hope... is that the species will be strong enough to prosper on its own."

Link leaned forward. "Then I guess you're not gonna let me pick it," she observed.

The princess shot her a look. "Were you thinking of gathering a bouquet for someone?" she accused.

A crimson blush adorned Link's face at that, and she pulled back silently, sitting on her heels.

Zelda only giggled, sitting back upright for herself. "You'd be surprised how much you can say when you say nothing at all."

"So I've been told," Link mumbled.

"As much as I'm certain she would love it," Zelda admitted, "we've yet to determine what allows the princess to grow properly. The castle botanists have instructed me to leave them wherever I find them."

Link angled her head. "No idea at all?"

"We've made a few different efforts as far as trying to understand their growth," Zelda explained, "and we haven't found anything certain." A thoughtful expression adorned her face, catching Link's attention.

"But...?"

"But what?"

"That look," Link accused, pointing at Zelda's face. "You've got a theory, haven't you?"

Zelda shook her head. "No," she insisted. "I just... it's nothing. Just a foolish thought."

Link shifted her seating. "Come on, spill," she insisted. "You've got something."

A heavy sigh from the princess. "...There's an idea that the name, 'silent princess', comes from the Goddess Hylia," she mused. "The way she stands by, never interfering, never showing herself, but always guiding the hero against Calamity Ganon. So I've been thinking that... perhaps the princess is sensitive to the wax and wane of Ganon's power. It becomes rarer and rarer as Ganon's resurgence approaches, and once he had been defeated, it returns to prosperity."

"Which would mean it's not really... endangered," Link observed. "It's just warning us."

"Precisely," Zelda admitted. "I realize it's a stupid theory, but-"

"No, no," Link insisted, shaking her head. "It's... not that out there."

Zelda offered a small smile, her gaze drifting; then, suddenly, she gaze a surprised gasp, and Link pulled back as she lunged forward hands-first. "Is that what I think it is?! Look at this!" She turned round, her hands closed before her, and Link gave her a confused look. "I don't believe it, but I actually caught one! This delicacy is known to have very,  _very_ potent effects under the proper circumstances."

She opened up her hands, prompting Link to narrow her gaze. "Is that a... frog?"

"Yes," Zelda confirmed, excitement clear on her voice, " _anura hastega_ \- the hot-footed frog. Research from the castle shows ingesting one of these can actually  _augment_ certain abilities. We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of physical fitness, you'd be a perfect candidate for the study!"

Link's eyes went wide as she realized what Zeda was saying. "What?"

"Go on!"

"No!"

"Taste it!"

"I'm not  _eating a frog_  on Irch Plain!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was able to put a little more spin on this one than Resolve and Grief, but it's still not much.


	9. Mipha's Touch - The Zora Champion's Affections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One-handed weapon, heavy weapon, long weapon, bow, shield. Zoras have at least one of each. Gerudo have at least one of each. Rito have no heavy weapons, because 'heavy' can never be an advantage for people who fly. Gorons have no one-handed weapons, because a cobble crusher is their idea of 'one-handed'. Gorons have no bows, because nothing that big can do anything resembling precision. Gorons have no shields, because they're already rock-solid.
> 
> Update: Sheikah have at least one of each. Koroks have no heavy weapons, because wood does not lend itself to efficient weight. Yiga have no long weapons, because spears are not practical to stealth OR power. Had the novelty to complete the Zora/Gerudo/Rito/Goron collection (minus higher-tiers for each's signature) before even seeing my first Divine Beast, but that takes up ten weapons slots. I'm gonna need to play some hardcore hide-and-seek early on if I want an inventory full of the rest.  
> ...You are now laughing at the phrase "hardcore hide-and-seek".

"Right, then, shall we?"

Link and Zelda, on arriving at Zora's Domain, were displeased to learn that a white-maned Lynel, a Stone Talus, and two blue Hinox had set up nest around the Domain. Link jumped at the chance to help deal with them, and Mipha was all too glad to join the effort; learning that Link had no bow or shield of her own, the Zora Champion made the call to lend her Zora-made gear before taking off to deal with the Talus, leaving Link to hunt down the Hinox - and Zelda to follow her and make sure she didn't get reckless.

The Lynel's territory was atop Ploymus Mountain; the sun was on its way down when Mipha met up with them at Lulu Lake, encouraging Zelda to get some rest at the Domain while she and Link dealt with the man-beast. The two of them were now positioned behind a large boulder, out of the Lynel's view; Mipha with her Lightscale Trident in both hands, and Link with the Master Sword in her right and a Silver Shield in her left.

At Mipha's prompt, Link nodded, glancing around at the Lynel and keeping her profile low enough that it wouldn't notice her. "On my mark, charge," she prompted. "You don't want it to notice you while it's far enough to loose an arrow." She waited until the monster had its tail turned to them before urging Mipha, "Go!"

The Zora Champion dashed out from around the rock in a wide arc, her footsteps splashing in the puddles that accumulated atop Ploymus Mountain. The Lynel turned, but her arc was just wide enough for it to end up turning its back to Link again before Mipha landed a running thrust across the beast's side. As it went for its sword and shield, Mipha quickly hooked the prongs of her trident on the bowstring, ripping it from the Lynel's back and throwing it across the mountaintop; it's consequent attempts to slash at her found her sidestepping with flowing movement, always staying one swing ahead of its sword.

Link took the opportunity to charge straight at the Lynel's hind legs while Mipha had it occupied; she quickly lashed her blade forward, launching a disc of light that cut into its flanks, before hopping onto its back, causing it to pull away from Mipha and thrash to try and throw her off. One, two, three, four strikes to its shoulders; then Link leapt off to the side, landing with a roll and flinging another disc at the Lynel while it was charging away. This one skimmed across its lower back, and the Lynel quickly turned round, charging towards her with intent to bring its sword through her side.

The Silver Shield in Link's left hand was raised to block the blow, and promptly  _shattered_.

Mipha moved in before the Lynel could take advantage, driving her spear into its shield arm. It reflexively turned, giving Link the opportunity to drive the Master Sword into the base of its horn; then she used the weapon as leverage,  _ripping_ the horn out of the Lynel's head and letting it fall to the ground. She barely had time to right her blade before the Lynel turned, driving its sword into the bracer on Link's sword arm - with enough force to cut  _through_ the bracer and the armwrap below, slicing into Link's arm strong enough to elicit a pained scream from the Hylian Champion.

She stumbled back, the Master Sword falling to the ground, and she quickly reclaimed the weapon in her left hand as the Lynel turned to her. Mipha used the opportunity to leap atop its back as Link had, only to find that the length of her Lightscale Trident was a hindrance at such close range. Awkward two-handed motions managed to land two thrusts before the Lynel grabbed her by the arm and threw her over its head; she twisted mid-flight and landed with a somewhat safe roll, skidding to a stop on Link's left.

"That is a lot harder with a spear!" she warned Link.

The Lynel sheathed its sword and shield, dropping down for a bull-rush with its remaining horn, and in just a split moment Link had a  _very_ bad idea to end this quickly. Mipha leapt to the left; Link ducked to the right just enough to put the length of her blade in line with the Lynel's foreleg, and as its remaining horn sliced across her back, the Master Sword tore through the man-beast's flank, causing it to stumble, bleeding, to the mountain. Mipha quickly leapt after it, driving her trident through its back and heart, and as the Lynel roared Link charged forward and drove the sacred blade into its throat, strangling its cries of pain as it died out.

The two Champions stepped away, and Link moved the Master Sword to her right hand just long enough to sheathe it before turning to Mipha. "That could have gone better."

"It could have gone significantly worse," Mipha admitted. She glanced towards the setting sun. "It's getting late. Let's stop by Ruta before we head back to the Domain."

"You want to jump Shatterback Point?" Link asked.

Mipha shook her head. "Not if you don't want to."

She had mistaken the wounded strain in Link's voice for incredulity, and the Hylian Champion chuckled, shaking her head. "No, no, I want to."

The dive was a bit exhilarating, but nothing Link couldn't handle; once they were both safely in the waters of the East Reservoir Lake, Mipha swam close enough for Link to climb onto her back before swimming as fast as she could. Divine Beast Vah Ruta was floating in the middle of the lake, its trunk down to water level; the two Champions climbed on, and Mipha directed the trunk to rise before reaching for Link's back.

"Your tunic is torn terribly," she observed.

"The castle tailors are gonna tell me off again when I get back," Link predicted. "I swear, they think I  _want_ to rip this- Ah!"

Her gasp as Mipha's healing light started to flow prompted the Zora Champion to set her other hand on Link's arm. "You're tense. It's not  _hurting_ you; it's just straining your body a little because you're tense. Relax."

Link took a deep breath and then let it out again as Mipha resumed, the cut slowly closing up on her back. She drew off her bracer and arm-wrap, revealing the sword cut that had gone through both, and once the horn gash was healed Mipha directed her hand towards her arm.

"This reminds me of the time we first met," she mused. "You were even more reckless then, always getting yourself hurt at every turn."

"So it would seem," Link admitted. "But you would always heal me, no matter how many times I got beat up. Just like this."

Mipha smiled. "Just like this," she concurred. With a soft chuckle, she added, "I thought it funny, then, how - you being Hylian - you looked grown-up so much faster than I did, even though I was a good deal older than you were."

Link shook her head. "That didn't stop you," she argued. "Whether it was spars with the other Zora, or a stray Octorock shot, you never let the wounds stay."

"Yes." Mipha sighed lightly. "I was... I was always willing to heal your wounds. Even back then."

She pulled her hand away, and Link looked over the area where the cut had been. "Not even a scar to show for it," she observed.

"Your body hasn't had a chance to try and heal it naturally," Mipha told her. "Natural healing is what leaves scars."

"Then..." Link sighed. "Then, I guess you wouldn't be able to do anything... about this."

She turned her arm, baring to Mipha the brand there - a hollow circle on her forearm. Mipha started at the sight. "What... what is that?"

Link grit her teeth. "A memento from some of the more... closed-minded soldiers," she told her. "They said, 'A lady doesn't belong in the soldier's yard unless she's got a ring from one of them.' Zelda had them discharged as soon as she saw these."

"These...?"

She reached for her left arm, drawing off the wrap and revealing the three hearts burned into that limb. "A mark for every man I showed up," she replied.

"Oh, Hylia..." Mipha set her fingers against the ring on her right arm. "When did this happen?"

"The day I joined the recruits," Link replied. "I started fighting right-handed more often because I'm stronger in that arm."

Mipha sighed, tracing the circle lightly with one finger. "I'm sorry."

Link set her hand over it. "It's alright," she insisted. "I've gotten over it. That hardship... I think it's half the reason I earned this sword when I did." She linked her fingers gently with Mipha's. "And I'm grateful for it.

The two remained like that for a good moment before Mipha pulled away. "So," she mused, "if this Calamity Ganon does, in fact, return... what can we really do? We just... don't seem to know much about what we'll be up against."

"I don't really know," Link admitted, turning to look over Zora's Domain. "People keep saying that, with the Divine Beasts, the Guardians, the sword that seals the darkness... If they all play their part, then Calamity Ganon will be finished before it has the chance to begin. Just as it was ten thousand years ago. But that sounds... too simple."

The Zora Champion sighed. "There is a great difference between simplicity and ease," she warned. "Even if you have the defense of the Guardians, and the aid of the Divine Beasts, it all depends on your ability to land a blow with a sword your opponent knows all too well."

Her hand set itself over Link's again, drawing her gaze. "But know this. No matter how difficult this battle might get... if you... if anyone ever tries to do you harm... I will heal you. No matter when, or how bad the wound. I hope you know... that I will always be willing to protect you."

"Mipha..."

Link's quiet murmur drew Mipha to lift her gaze. "Maybe, when this whole thing is over... things can go back to how they used to be, when we were young."

A small smile rose on Link's face, and she squeezed Mipha's hand lightly. "I'd like that."


	10. Shelter from the Storm - Quiet Contemplation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one I can't really do too much to. Sorry if it's a bit short.

Anyone in Hyrule, or any land, shares the same notion; rain is something that can only truly be enjoyed by ranchers and children. Younglings will relish in the chance to play about in the rain, soaking themselves to the bone without a care for the world. And whatever has been planted in the earth will need water on a regular basis, which rain provides without needing to break a sweat. But for anyone else, rain is simply an inconvenience; and so when the clouds opened up as Link and Zelda were walking along the shores of the Hylia River, on their way back from the woods of Faron, the two of them quickly rushed for cover under a nearby tree.

"Of all the times... to have gone on foot," Zelda panted, "we had to... leave the horses behind... on the day it was raining."

Link leaned against the tree, eyes on the skies, before turning to the princess. "Didn't you mention the Sheikah Slate had a weather-teller?" she asked.

Zelda shook her head. "It's limited," she insisted. "The predictions... are only good for... four hours or so. And even then... they're not certain."

After a moment of quiet, Link drew herself off the trunk, drawing the Master Sword from her back. Zelda sat herself down at the base of the tree, watching as the swordswoman stepped out into the rain - light enough to be little more than a nuisance, but heavy enough to make travel a bad idea - and drew the weapon into practiced motions; she had decided against asking a shield from the castle armoury, justifying that any equipment was better put to use with the castle soldiers than with her (although that didn't stop her from grabbing Bokoblin or Lizalfos equipment when it was convenient).

As her knight's swings continued, Zelda drew off the Sheikah Slate from her hip; the default display before she activated the Camera showed the Rune selection in the center, with a small circle that functioned as a temperature gauge in the bottom left corner and the weather predictions lined up in the bottom right. On seeing the mark that predicted rain, she quickly tapped the predictions, causing it to expand to a shorter period - and revealing exactly how long the weather was expected to remain.

"Doesn't seem this will let up any time soon," she murmured, her gaze going to the clouds.

Link barely seemed to hear her, continuing her swings. Zelda noticed that, with the Master Sword's length, she often ended up two-handing the grip when she had both hands free, putting extra strength into her blows.

"Your path seems to mirror your father's," she told Link, recalling the conversation they'd had on the way through Faron Woods. "You've dedicated yourself to becoming a knight, and you've ended up on par with the royal guard."

With a low breath, Link braced the Master Sword before her in both hands, holding it to divide her face in half. "I think the royal guard still has the up on me," she admitted, her back still to the princess.

"Only by your own choice," Zelda observed. "Your skills are nothing to scoff at, and that sword is just as sharp as theirs. And even as a Champion, you still take the time to drill yourself, as though you were still a fresh recruit." She had a smile on her face as she spoke. "Your commitment to your training is... really quite admirable."

Link lowered her head, smiling lightly for herself. "I just don't want to get lazy," she mused. "Some Champion I'd be if I let my body get weak because I wasn't using it."

The princess chuckled, just lightly. "I see now why you would be the chosen one."

She fell quiet, and an unpleasant mood seemed to drift over the hill where they stood, drawing Link's attention.

"What if... one day... you realized that you just weren't _meant_ to be a fighter." Zelda closed her eyes. "Yet the only thing anyone ever told you is that you were born into a family of the royal guard... and so, no matter what you thought, you _had_ to become a knight."

"Zelda..."

She glanced down at the Sheikah Slate in her hands. "If that was all you were ever told... I wonder, then... would you have chosen a different path?"


	11. Father and Daughter - Respect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie, I keep skipping this memory when I play through the game. Watching it through a dozen times to get the dialogue right was not a pleasant experience. That being said, I am taking some liberties with the exact lines and a few more with the movements, so I apologize for that.

"Incredible..."

On returning from the Faron Woods - and the Spring of Courage therein - Zelda had been informed that she was to have one day to relax, to do as she pleased. Link had noted with some suspicion that the guard who informed them neglected to mention that it was the king's decree (and was suspiciously evasive when she asked the question), but nonetheless, when Zelda invited the Champion to her study to see what they had learned thus far about the ancient Sheikah technology, Link was glad to accompany her.

They had passed through Zelda's chambers (wherein she had changed into her wide-sleeved long dress), and were approaching the tower with the study when movement in the courtyard below drew Zelda's attention. She stepped up to the edge of the walkway, watching as one of the Sheikah directed the Guardian to rise on its spindly legs and walk forward, its blue eye glancing around the whole time.

Zelda sighed, amazed. "We're at a point now where we can actually control them," she mused, stepping back from the edge. "At the current rate, we'll soon know all we need to know about the Guardians and the Divine Beasts." Turning to Link; "And, should Ganon ever show itself again, we'll be well positioned to defend outselves.

"What are you doing out here, Zelda?"

The deep, commanding voice drew princess and knight both to turn. King Rhoam was standing there, at the doorway they had just come through, standing there with all the imposition of a knight who had come across a petty thief. Link stepped away from the walkway's edge, falling to one knee and bowing her head as the king approached, coming to a stop a good seven paces away.

"I... I was merely assessing the results of the experiments of the Guardians," Zelda insisted, one hand clenching into a fist. "These pieces of ancient technology could well prove vital to-"

"I know that," Rhoam interrupted. "They are essential to Hyrule's future, and our research demands that we keep a close eye on them. However, as the princess, you currently have a crucial, unfulfilled responsibility to your kingdom."

Zelda's head dropped, her teeth against her tongue.

Rhoam swept his hand to the side. "I will ask you once more: When will you stop treating this as some sort of childish game?"

"I'm doing everything I can," Zelda insisted. "I'll have you know that I just recently returned from the Spring of Courage, where I offered every ounce of my prayers to the Goddess-"

"And now you are here, wasting your time," Rhoam reprimanded. "You need to be dedicating every moment you have to your training. You  _must_ be single-minded in unlocking the power that will seal Calamity Ganon away."

Zelda's breath was shaking. "...I already am," she gasped. "Don't you see, there's nothing more I can do! My hope... My hope is that you will allow me to contribute here, in whatever way I can."

Rhoam shook his head. "No more excuses, Zelda!" he roared. "Stop running away from your duty. As king, I forbid you from having anything more to do with these machines from this moment on, and command you to focus on your training." He stepped towards the edge opposite the one facing the Guardians, looking out across Hyrule Field. "Do you know how the gossip mongers refer to you? They are out there at this moment, whispering amongst themselves that you are heir to the throne of a kingdom of nothing - nothing but failure. It is woven into your destiny that you prove them wrong."

"Heir to a kingdom of failure? That sounds more like your fault than hers."

Link's words drew both princess and king to turn to her; neither of them had noticed her get to her feet, now standing tall at Zelda's side. Rhoam stepped forward. "What?"

Zelda set a hand on Link's sword arm. "Link, don't-"

"No," Link insisted, shaking her head. "No, think about it." Her gaze was on the king, and the quiet intensity in her words caused Zelda to pull away. "She hasn't done anything with the kingdom. You haven't  _let her_ do anything with the kingdom. So if there's a 'kingdom of failure', she  _cannot_ be responsible." She took a single step forward. "But at the same time, she is princess, and the throne is her birthright. So if she's the heir to the throne of a kingdom of failure, that means the failure is  _yours_."

Rhoam glared. "How dare you...!"

Link scoffed. "How dare I? How dare  _you!_ She's putting every effort she has into this Demise-damned 'training', and you scold her and talk her down because the Goddess doesn't understand that. You give her one day to do as she pleases, then you come here and get angry because she pleases to watch a Guardian move!"

"She-"

"She  _looked down_ ," Link interrupted. "She was walking from her bedroom to her study, and she glanced down, saw the experiments, and spent ten seconds talking about them. If she had looked up, seen a carrier pigeon fly by overhead, and stopped to think about who had sent it, and where it was going, would you still be telling her off?"

Rhoam clenched his fists at his side. "Mind your tongue," he commanded. "Carrying the sword that seals the darkness is no excuse for failing to respect your superiors.

"And wearing the crown to the kingdom of Hyrule is no excuse for failing to respect your  _daughter_ ," Link countered.

Zelda's hands closed on her arm. "Link, enough!" she insisted. "I..." She turned to her father. "If you want me to leave the Guardians alone, I will."

The king said nothing more, turning away and stepping off the walkway.

"She respects you," Link threw at his back. "Why can't you do the same?"

He did not even turn or pause to acknowledge her words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That felt good.


	12. Slumbering Power - A Sorrowful Prayer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This memory is short. This memory is really short. When written, anyways. So, again, I'm going to do a little something different this chapter.
> 
> "Remembering one thing leads to remembering another, and another, and another. Memories are connected, like the links of a chain." ~Naminé

It was late at night when Zelda arrived at the Spring of Power, on the border between Akkala and Eldin. Link helped her change into her ceremonial garb - a simple white dress of a fashion allegedly once worn by Hylia herself - and held on to the Sheikah Slate as the princess made her way into the waters. The spring was surprisingly temperate, considering the air around it was slightly colder for the moonlight; but that was only faint comfort as she waded in, coming to a stop halfway to the statue of the Goddess that rest there. Her hands clasped before her, and she bowed her head, whispering prayers that only the Goddess could hear... if she deemed to listen.

After a quiet moment, Link glanced down at the Sheikah Slate in her hand. This was their eighth destination for Zelda's prayers since the Master Sword had been drawn, all of them hailed as sacred places where the power of the Goddess was strong. Every time, she was met with failure at one location, and the king only directed them to next, and at this point Link was certain; continuing to try the same thing over, and over, and over again would bring no success. It was long time that they tried a new approach... but she was well aware that Rhoam would hear none of it - particularly not after her last meeting with the king - and Zelda had grown wary of earning his ire.

"I come seeking help, regarding this power that has been passed down over time." Zelda's words had grown louder, and Link raised her gaze to see the princess was facing the goddess statue. "Prayer will awaken the power to seal Ganon away... Or so I've been told all my life. And yet..."

Her hands were lowered into the water. "Grandmother heard them - the voices from the spirit realm. And Mother said her own power would develop within me. But I don't hear, or feel anything!" Link saw her grip her arms before her, fearful. "Father has told me, time and time again... He always says, 'Quit wasting your time playing at being a scholar'! Curse you...!"

Those fingers slammed down into the water. "I've spent every day of my life dedicated to praying. I've pleaded to the spirits tied to the ancient gods. And still the powers have proven deaf to my devotion."

Tears fell from her eyes, mingling with the waters of the spring.

"Just tell me... what is it? What's wrong with me?"

Link's grip tightened on the slate; and she saw fit to issue a prayer of her own.

_Goddess... What is it that you want? She who has spent far too long, who has done far too much, trying to unlock a power we **need**... She is made to do this. But that doesn't make her words any less sincere. What about her is so inadequate? Why do you continue to keep it from her, when you know all too well that she will never be granted respite until it is given?_

_What the hell do you even want?_

* * *

They spent the night in Ordorac Quarry, lighting a campfire near a short stone tunnel leading to the spring; Zelda fell to a tearful sleep in instant, but Link was restless. Anger was driving her to insomnia - anger at the Goddess for refusing to grant Zelda's prayers, anger at Rhoam for pushing her to a consistently futile effort, anger at fate for robbing Zelda of her predecessor before this lesson could be taught, anger at herself for being unable to do anything to help. Her rage had her pacing in the quarry where her pounding footsteps wouldn't wake the princess.

"I hate this," she murmured. "What I can  _do_? I can't  **do** anything. I'm just..." With a scoff, she drew the Master Sword from her back, glaring at her reflection on its smooth blade. "What good is it carrying the sword that seals the darkness when I can't even comfort her woes? I'm just a warrior. All I can do is swing this damn thing!"

She hurled the blade forward, and its tip drove into the earth as she sat herself down on the earth. "I'm useless," she growled. "I am. I'm useless. I'm  _powerless_. I can't do anything on my own. All the other Champions have their-"

Her own words brought her to a stop.

_The other Champions. She's been praying for how long, now, on her own. Me joining her hasn't changed anything. But maybe... if the others come with us..._

A glance towards the campfire, to make sure Zelda was still sleeping safely; then Link climbed her way out of the quarry, dashing towards their horses. Champion and Valor were at rest, and Link shortly dug out some writing materials she carried with her for when she wanted to make personal notes. Once she had collected parchment, pen, and ink, she made her way back to the quarry, sitting down next to the earth-driven Master Sword. A solid board to use as a writing surface, on which the first parchment was lain, and her pen was set to.

_Dear Mipha_  
_I apologize for not writing since our afternoon at Ruta. I would like to ask a favour. Zelda's prayers have yet to bear any fruit. It is my hope that the accompaniment of not only myself but the four Champions who pilot the Divine Beasts may provide a necessary spark to awaken this 'sealing power' that we need. Zelda has expressed a desire to detour to Sanadin Park before we return to the castle for our next destination. I ask that you meet us there._  
 _Love,_  
 _Link_

She folded the letter and set it in her pouch before preparing the next.

_Urbosa;_  
_I am writing in regards to Zelda. King Rhoam's orders to continue with her prayers have borne no fruit thus far, but I am well aware that trying to convince him that an alternative approach may prove more successful will be an exercise in futility. I instead theorize that the accompaniment of the other Champions may aid in awakening the power that we need. I ask that you meet us at Sanadin Park, to which we will be travelling from our current location in Ordorac Quarry._  
 _Sincerely,_  
 _Link._

Another folded letter set aside before she readied the next.

_Master Revali;_  
_I request that you meet Zelda and I at Sanadin Park, and accompany us to the next destination we will be visiting for her prayers to awaken the power we have been awaiting. It is my hope that accompaniment from those more skilled than myself will assist in the awakening, for I - in and of myself - am useless. If you have half the essence you purport to, I feel that your presence will be more than enough._  
 _Link._

A third fold, and the letter set aside; a fourth sheet was halfway to her writing surface when she realized what a horrible idea it was to send a carrier pigeon with a paper letter to Death Mountain. A moment's awkward contemplation; then she unfolded each of the previous letters in turn and added an addendum.

_Post scriptum: I have no idea how to safely send a message to Daruk in Goron City. If you have a method, please issue him a request on my behalf._

The letters were re-folded, and she readied them to be sent on the morrow.


	13. To Mount Lanayru - One Final Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every attempt I have ever made to use the Sheikah Sensor + in Hyrule Castle claims that there's an entire Royal series immediately below the Sanctum. This wouldn't bother me nearly so much if there was a Royal Shield anywhere ELSE in Hyrule Castle. The only consistent Royal Shields I can find are the ones the one-handers carry in the Coliseum after three and four Divine Beasts and the one Selmie gives you for the best time down Hebra.
> 
> Also, Ancient Arrows bounce of Calamity Ganon's cocoon. As in, they don't burst, they fall to the ground, and if there's a Blight Ganon waiting (or you're careful with the Paraglider and REALLY timely with the A button) you can pick it back up.

"Be sure to take the time to soothe your mount. That's the only way he will know how you truly feel."

Zelda and Link had taken their time riding from Akkala to the Ridgeland. Link had found some very... _ornate_ horse gear in Zelda's saddlebags on their way there, which Zelda had informed her were the equestrian equivalent of royal regalia. At Link's suggestion, they had stopped at Woodland Stable to get Champion changed out, but the stablehand had insisted that he and Zelda needed a little more time together before Champion was comfortable enough around a rider to let someone his saddle and bridle.

With Link's advice, Zelda had managed to earn her steed's trust, and the hands at Serenne Stable had been gladly willing to equip him. Now, they were nearing Sanadin Park, and Zelda recited her knight's words as she gently stroked Champion's mane. "Your advice was quite helpful, thank you," she praised.

"Considering you've been keeping that stuff around for a while," Link observed, "I'm kinda surprised you were willing to gear him right up."

"Well, at first, I wasn't sure I should outfit him with  _all_ of the royal gear," Zelda admitted. "I thought, maybe he should have to earn it first." A light chuckle from the princess as she added, "But it works. He wears it like a true natural."

Link smirked. "Grown on you pretty fast, has he?"

Zelda shook her head. "I'm  _trying_ to be a bit more empathetic," she explained. "Benefit of the doubt, you know?"

They had arrived at the park, now; the two of them dismounted their horses and made their way to up to a great statue of a horse - said to have been the steed of the hero who sealed away Calamity Ganon ten thousand years ago. Zelda made her way to the edge of the stage - where they could see clear across Hyrule Field, all the way to the summit on Hyrule's eastern shore.

"You see that mountain?" she prompted. "That's Mount Lanayru. It takes its name from the Goddess of Wisdom." She bowed her head weakly. "Lanayru's decree is very specific. It states that no one is allowed under the age of seventeen.... for only the wise are permitted upon the mountain."

"Is that our next destination?" Link asked. "Mount Lanayru?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes. I've prayed at the Spring of Courage... and at the Spring of Power... yet neither awoke anything inside me. But..." She turned her gaze back up to the summit in the distance. "Maybe up there... Perhaps the Spring of Wisdom, the final of the three, will be the place." She shook her head weakly. "To be honest, I have no real reason to think that will be the case. But there's always the chance that the next moment will change everything."

Link closed her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with that thought," she insisted. "Benefit of the doubt, you know?"

A weak smile broke out on Zelda's face. "Tomorrow... is my seventeenth birthday." She turned round to face Link. "So then, I shall go... and make my way up the mountain."

"Not alone, you won't."

The voice from behind her elicited a scream from the princess, who turned and stumbled back; Link quickly moved to catch her in case she fell again, but she managed to stay on her feet - and see the Zora Champion who stood there. "Mipha!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Hylia's  _lips_ , you two were made for each other."

Blushes adorned the two Champions' faces. "Sorry," Mipha insisted. "Guess I should've called to you on my way up from the river."

"Wh-What are you  _doing_ here?" Zelda demanded.

Mipha beckoned to the Hylian Champion with her trident. "Link invited us."

Zelda blinked. "Us?"

"Well, now!"

The call from above caused Zelda to turn in time to see the Rito Champion descending; the draft of his descent had everyone's garb wavering as he touched down. "You didn't think you were going to unlock this 'sealing power' without us, did you?"

"Revali," Zelda gasped. "What...?"

"A sword alone is doing your success rate no favours," Revali observed, shooting a glance at Link. "Maybe a proper entourage will help improve things."

Hoofbeats drew their attention in time to see the Gerudo Champion riding towards them on a jet-black stallion; she quickly dismounted as she drew near, stepping up to the park's stage. "One thing we overlooked in trying to follow the guidance of our predecessors," she observed. "Ten thousand years ago, when they defeated Ganon moments after he arrived, the four who piloted the Divine Beasts never left the princess' side until he appeared."

Joyful tears started to well up in Zelda's eyes. "Urbosa..."

Link glanced around. "Where... Did anyone send word to Daruk?" she asked.

At once, the other three Champions replied, "I did."

"Well, damn," Link muttered.

"I saw him rolling on my way here," Mipha admitted. "He should arrive shortly..."

"There," Revali prompted, aiming one wing in the direction Link and Zelda had come.

The tumbling shape of the Goron Champion was fast approaching them; as he got near, he quickly uncurled and skidded to a stop, propping his Boulder Breaker on his shoulder. "Well, then!" he prompted. "I hope I'm not late to the party!"

Link only shook her head. "It's not my party," she admitted, turning to Zelda.

"You went through all the trouble of inviting them?" the princess asked.

"I can't do anything but fight," Link admitted. "But these Champions are amazing people. Seeing them back you up might just convince the Goddess that you're worthy."

The tears started to flow, and Zelda stepped forward, throwing her arms around Link in a grateful embrace.


	14. Return of Calamity Ganon - Critical Measure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Official strategy guide says the Bow of Light has a limited durability (of 100, but still). I tried to test that out by running as far away in Hyrule Field as I could and trying to snipe Dark Beast Ganon from there. One hundred Light Arrows later, it looks like the Bow of Light has the same "infinite durability versus Ganon boss" thing that the Master Sword does. Now I'm a little miffed that it's exclusive to the fight with Hatred and Malice Incarnate, because thinking it through enough to give it a limited durability AND preparing for the case of a bad enough marksman who'll miss the glowing Triforce targets a hundred times shows an awesome amount of forethought.

All the hope in the world is nothing in the face of fate.

So was the conclusion Link had drawn as she and Zelda made their way back to Lanayru Road, their heads hung low and their paces wary. The other four Champions were waiting there, expectant; yet neither the knight nor the princess dared to tell them of their result.

Daruk was never one to stand by and be left in the dark. "Well?" he prompted. "Don't keep us in suspense! How'd everything go up there on the mountain?"

A solemn Zelda only shook her head regretfully.

"So you didn't feel anything?" Revali's tone was that of one who would have given anything to be wrong. "No power at all?"

"...I'm sorry, no."

A moment of quiet; then Urbosa sighed. "Then let's move on," she encouraged her. "You've done all you could. Feeling sorry for yourself won't be of any help. It's not like it was your last shot, up there on Mount Lanayru." Daruk nodded in assurance as she continued; "Anything could finally spark the power to seal Ganon away. We just need to keep looking for that... thing."

Zelda offered a half-hearted smile for a split moment before she lacked the strength to keep it on her face. "That's kind of you, thank you."

Mipha stepped forward. "Um... if I may," she offered. As Zelda and the other Champions turned to her, she added, "I thought you... Well, I'm not sure how to put this into words. I'm actually quite embarrassed to say it, but..." She hesitated for just a moment. "I was thinking about what I do when I'm healing - you know, what goes through my mind. It helps when I... when I think about-"

A tremor.

Link would never had thought it possible for them to  _feel_ it, so far away. Mount Lanayru was the furthest natural formation to the east, and Hyrule Castle was smack in the center of the kingdom. She could have sworn that there was  _no way_ for them to feel the tremor there, let alone at the same time - but she and all of the Champions were knocked to stumbling as the quake rocked Hyrule in its entirety. Revali was the first to recover, lashing his wings down as a gale ripped up about him, launching him skyward... and when he high enough to see over the valleys between the promenade and Castle Town, he found himself startled by what he saw.

Dark clouds like fresh blood swirled above Hyrule Castle in ways that no natural winds could move them; lightning ripped down from those clouds, a dark lightning the colour of moonless night skies; and from below the castle grounds emerged something that was nearly formless... save for the monstrous face at the lead.

A face that roared skyward, as though to tear down the sun.

Urbosa went for her sword. "It's here."

Daruk closed his fists. "This is it, then."

Mipha raised a hand before her. "Are you sure?"

Revali landed without even slowing down. "Positive."

"It's awake," Zelda gasped, terrified. "Ganon!"

The dark clouds rising above the the castle were visible even from the earth in the promenade. Daruk quickly turned to the others. "Let's stop wasting time!" he urged. "We're gonna need everything we've got to take that thing down!" He swept his hand out. "Now, Champions! To your Divine Beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss." Mipha glanced down at her own hands, uncertain, as he continued, "Link will need to meet Ganon head-on when we attack! This needs to be a unified assault. Little guy, you get to Hyrule Castle!"

A scoff from Revali as he aimed a glare at Link.

Link noticed. "You wanna try swinging a sword that keeps secrets?" she offered.

"Just don't miss."

Daruk closed a fist before himself. "You can count on us for support," he told the Hylian Champion. "But it's up to you to pound Ganon into oblivion!"

Urbosa turned to Zelda. "We need to get you someplace safe," she prompted.

"No."

That one adamant word caught everyone by surprise. "I'm not a child anymore," Zelda proclaimed. "I may not be much use on the battlefield. But there must... there must be something I can do!"

Mipha stepped forward. "But, if you..."

"Adrenaline," Link prompted. On seeing the confused looks of the others, she elaborated; "Prayer is doing nothing. We should've been going at different approaches before we even hit the Spring of Courage. Adrenaline always provokes a body to do more than it can otherwise. If we get close enough to Ganon, the aura of its Malice should provoke an adrenaline rush - and that might just wake the power we need."

Zelda nodded. "Alright. It's worth a shot."

She started moving, prompting the other Champions to do the same; Revali shot back into the air, and Daruk charged ahead of them rolling as Link, Zelda, and Urbosa all whistled to call their horses. "Mipha," Link prompted, "you take Valor across the Rabia Plain. Zelda and I will take Champion to the Castle."

"Alright." The Zora Champion quickly leapt upon Link's incoming steed as Urbosa mounted her Gerudo stallion; Link hopped on Champion and slowed him just enough for Zelda to hop on behind her before spurring him into a gallop. As the five Champions continued their separate ways, all of them shared the same hope - a hope that Ganon could be turned back, sealing power or not.

All the hope in the world is nothing in the face of fate.


	15. Despair - Moment of Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I was talking about the rarity of Royal Shields a couple chapters ago, but if we're talking hard-to-find battle plates, then NOTHING compares to the Kite Shield. One chest in the overworld, and one from Selmie if you're in the 2:10-2:15 zone. Silver Longswords, Golden Claymores, and Gerudo Spears are pretty tricky, too. I mean, you would THINK they'd set the game up so you can find a consistent monster with every non-amiibo equipment except the Master Sword, the Hylian Shield, and the Bow of Light.
> 
> ...Another contrasting author's note. I've got to stop doing this.

Darkness.

And incomparable terror.

Link and Zelda fled through the forestry at the edge of the Hylia River, the knight's hand closed tight on the princess' to ensure she would not fall behind. Rain fell around them, as it had been falling since the chaos began; their steed had already been felled amidst the horror, and the two of them were caked in mud thrown by the attacks of their foes. The Master Sword was closed tight in Link's other hand as she ran, hell-bent on putting as much distance between them and the ruin as possible.

It took only an instant of distraction; Zelda's foot hooked on a protruding root, and in the rain that coated both their bodies Link wasn't able to hold tight enough to stop their hands from separating. She quickly slammed to a halt, turning to see Zelda had fallen to her knees; yet she was making no attempt to rise again.

"How...?" Her voice was shaky, and her gaze fixed on the earth below her. "How did it come to this...?"

Link stepped towards her, sheathing her sword. "Zelda..."

"The Guardians... The Divine Beasts... They've all turned against us...!" Her fingers clenched the hem of her dress. "It was... Calamity Ganon! It turned them all against us!" The princess closed her eyes, her whole body shaking. "And the others - Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk - they're all trapped inside those things...!"

She had nothing to say - how could she have anything to say? She'd dared not wonder what would happen to their friends, fearing that a moment's contemplation would hasten it; yet now, with Zelda voicing her terrors, she knew she had been deluding herself. The Champions were lost... and there was nothing she could have done to save them.

"It's all my fault!" Zelda shrieked, her hands going to her face in a vain attempt to stop the tears. "Our only hope for stopping Ganon is lost, all because I couldn't harness this _cursed_ power! Everything... Everything I've done up until now... It was all for nothing...!" She slammed her fists against her legs as her gaze went up to Link. "So I really am just a  _failure!_  Everyone in the castle... All our friends... My father most of all... I-I tried, and I failed them all."

She ought as well have tried to stop the rain. She fought the tears, but still they came.

"I left them... all to die..."

Link could find no words with which to comfort her; so when the strength left Zelda's body, she could only offer her embrace.

_Goddess..._ Her silent prayers reached for Hylia.  _Why? Do you do this on purpose? Have we done so much to wrong you that you feel all the kingdom deserves to suffer for it? All we wanted was to stop this madness... to spare your land this torment! So why...?_

Fortune would not protect the kingdom - but it would give the two this moment to their sorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet again, keeping the mood of the memory means I can't do much to expand it. This one is really short.


	16. Zelda's Awakening - Blood of the Goddess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're gonna wrap this here.

Flames burned across the Blatchery Plain - fires spread by the blasts that her foes unleashed. How many foes had she felled, here before Fort Hateno in an effort to protect the people who lived beyond? If they stalked the earth, the edge of her blade would sever their arms; if they watched the skies, the light of her sword would clip their wings; and once they were felled, she would run their visages through with her sword until the Malice of the Calamity fled their bodies.

But she was mortal.

And she could only fell so many before they could come to fell her.

One hundred Guardians had been slain by Link's rage, and it was all she could do at this point to keep herself conscious; a hundred and first was seen past the corpses of its brethren before she fell to one knee, and the blade of evil's bane - its once-shining surface now caked in blood and earth, its holy edge chipped from striking these ancient automatons - was driven into the earth to keep her upright. She had to this point avoided a direct blow from the Guardians' concentrated energy, but the blasts when they collided with earth, beast, or structure had scarred her body, and close combat with these creatures had all but shredded the tunic of goddess azure that adorned her torso.

Zelda's hand closed on her shoulder. "Link, save yourself!" she pleaded. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine! Go!"

"I can't," Link insisted. "I won't...! I can't leave you behind!"

"You must!" Zelda cried. "If you die here...!"

"If  _you_ die here, I'll never live with myself!"

Her words caught the princess off-guard. "What?"

Link raised her left hand. "I swore... the day you gave me this tunic! Skyward bound... adrift in time... or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight...! I won't leave you behind!" She forced herself to stand, limp and livid even as she did. "I vowed I would defend you, no matter the cost! I swore I wouldn't let you fall, and I don't mean to! I won't forsake you - not the way she did!"

With hardly the strength to raise it, she wrenched the sword from the earth to seal what darkness would come for them.

"If Hylia won't stand by you,  _I will!_ "

The Guardian she had seen had now seen them; and as it crawled towards them, her gaze went to the Master Sword before her.  _The sword that seals the darkness... its edge shines with the power to repel evil. But these Guardians were made to oppose Ganon alongside the hero. Will it work...? Will its holy light be able to turn back a blow that was meant to aid it?_

Ancient claws met ancient bodies, and she raised her gaze to the Guardian that now stood atop the lifeless shells of two more.

"...Go to Demise."

It lunged forward, and the crimson light of its aim centered on Link's heart.

Zelda threw herself in the way, her hand raised to catch its blow.

And on the back of her hand appeared a golden mark of three triangles.

The mark of the gods.

If ever in Hyrule there had a light comparable to that which shone from Zelda's body, it would have been that of the Goddess herself. The force that burst out before her washed across the fields of Necluda, consuming the Guardian before her and the rest of the army across the plain. When it faded, the only sign that Calamity Ganon had ever laid his hand on that field was the fading mist of Malice that rose from each automaton as it went lifless - and Link was left awestruck as the mark of the gods shone bright on the back of Zelda's hand.

With no opponent, the rage that kept her going left her; Link had only time to see the mark fade before her grip on the Master Sword faltered, and it fell to the earth as she lost the strength to stand.

Her vision swam in blood; she felt a hand on her back, heard Zelda's voice in her ears, felt the grass under her fingers as she tried to move it, to assure her she was alright. She fought to stay awake - because she knew that if she failed, she would be sleeping for eternity. At a distance, she could see the figures of two Sheikah warriors charging through the fields, looking for them, and she wanted to call out to them, to tell them she was here, to tell them to keep Zelda safe...

**..ster...**

The voice - a voice she had heard somewhere before.

**...Master...**

_Who's... speaking...?_

**Master.**

Her gaze fell to the sword that had fallen to the earth - the golden jewel in its hilt was gleaming with a light in goddess azure.

**The Goddess stands by you.**

_The sword...?_ Her pain-addled state was not enough to stop confusion from wracking her.  _What...?_

**The Goddess stands by you.**

A realization draped over Link, and with the fading strength in her body she turned her gaze to Zelda. A memory caught her mind - something she had been told when first she had been appointed - about the soul of the hero... and the blood of the goddess.

"...Hylia...?"

Her eyes fell closed - and would not open again for one hundred years.


End file.
